Our Safe Kids "At Play" initiatives promote safety through these efforts:

 

Water Safety  

Sports Safety and Defeat the Heat 

Safe Kids Summer Camp 2008 

Railroad Safety

The Danger Rangers is the first NY Emmy® nominated, half hour series that uses action-adventure, comedy and fantastic music to entertain, educate and empower children to Think Safe, Play Safe & Be Safe! The Danger Rangers is the leading brand of family-friendly, premium quality entertainment.  The Danger Rangers television series and complementary multimedia product assortment educates and empowers young children to make smart safety related decisions that prevent accidental injury. Check out the Danger Ranger Activity Pages.

 

Water Safety
Drowning is the second largest cause of accidental injuries to children.  Safe Kids Upstate partners with the American Red Cross and Kiwanis to offer free swimming classes to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in the Greenville County Schools.  The classes are held the first two weeks of summer each year and are open to children who do not know how to swim.   

 

ATV Safety
Safe Kids Upstate has worked with Foothills Motorsports and the Greenville County Division of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) to create an ATV Safety Campaign.  As a result of back-to-back grants from DDSN, we have created an ATV Safety Public Service Announcement, an informative ATV Safety Poster, and ATV hangtags.  We have worked with dealers, such as Foothills Motorsports, to display the Safety Hangtags on ATVs in their showrooms.  The hangtags offer general ATV safety tips and encourage all consumers to purchase ATV Safety equipment (helmets with face protection, non-skid boots, gloves, etc.) when purchasing an ATV.  Safe Kids Upstate also works with a parent advocate, Terese Calhoun, who speaks to local groups about ATV Safety.

 

Sports Safety and Defeat the Heat
Safe Kids  Upstate works with local trainers and coaches to promote injury prevention during athletic games and practices.   Safe Kids Upstate developed a Sports Injury card that can be clipped to sports bags or equipment.  The cards include information about preventing and treating common sports injuries.  In addition, Safe Kids Upstate has a Defeat the Heat campaign that focuses on preventing dehydration.  During the summer months, Safe Kids Upstate often visits youth sporting events to educate children about staying hydrated. 

 

In partnership with Greenville County Recreation District

Times: 9:30am – 4:00pm
Dates: 6/24 & 6/25; 7/21 & 7/22; 8/5 & 8/6
Ages: 6, 7, 8 year olds

Location: Shoeless Joe Jackson Park (June) & The Pavilion Rec Center (July & Aug.)

Cost: Free program, available to kids who are registered for Greenville Co. Recreation Summer Camp (go to www.gcrd.org for registration info). Kids will receive a Safety Camp t-shirt, water bottle, snacks/drinks, and safety materials.

 

Safe Kids Camp is an educational program that teaches children about all aspects of injury prevention, the leading killer of children in our country. Participants will learn how to make decisions about dangerous situations and be encouraged to change risky behaviors. Students will learn about common household hazards through Buddy’s mobile safety house as well as a fire prevention house. They’ll learn the rules of the road and the importance of helmet use at a miniature village with streets, sidewalks, and stop signs. They’ll also learn about water safety, railroad crossings, buckling up in the car, and a variety of other topics.

 

Using the 2008 Summer Olympics-inspired theme, “Champions for Safety,” kids will complete a “Passport to Safety” while participating in safety games, which motivates them to have fun while learning. All students will be evaluated on their comprehension of the lessons through a pre- and post-camp survey. A team of volunteer safety experts from a variety of community organizations (fire departments, law enforcement, health care workers) will interact with the children and participate in the activities. The target population is low- to middle-income children from high-risk families and neighborhoods.

 

 

Railroad Safety
Safe Kids Upstate, in partnership with Operation Lifesaver, has certified Railroad Safety Instructors on staff.  We are able to make presentations to schools in Greenville, Pickens and Oconee counties to educate children about the dangers present along railways.  Our goal is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities on and around railroad rights-of-way and highway-rail grade crossings involving motorists and pedestrians.

 

Playground Safety
In addition to working with the Safety Patrols, staff members from Safe Kids Upstate often visit schools and community areas to evaluate the safety of their playground areas.  Staff members make recommendations and help create safer areas.

 

Heelys are the new sneakers that have a detachable wheel in the heel. Although it may sound like great fun, there are many risks and dangers. In fact the wheeled sneakers made the 2006 W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm) “10 Worst Toys” list. Read about important safety tips.